This was perhaps the last chance conversation. Nine minutes of telephone exchange between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Poutine, four days before the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine at the end of February, will be broadcast on France 2, Thursday June 30. The documentary A President, Europe and the Warsigned Guy Lagache, recounts the diplomatic backstage of the last six months at the Elysée.
Sunday, February 20 in the morning, the camera stops on the diplomatic adviser to the president, Emmanuel Bonne, surrounded by three collaborators, in his office at 2, rue de l’Elysée. The French president, who went a few days earlier to Moscow and kyiv, began mediation to try to prevent the war.
The four members of the diplomatic cell of the Elysée follow the telephone exchange of their “boss” with the master of the Kremlin from a distance. Emmanuel Macron appears firm, offensive, a bit peremptory, even brittle. Vladimir Putin does not give up, gets annoyed. “Listen to me carefully”, he throws at her. Behind a few Russian expressions of politeness, irony, even cynicism, is never far away.
The French president initiates the conversation, without detour: “I would like you to first give me your reading of the situation and perhaps quite directly, as we both do, tell me what your intentions are”he said.
“What can I say? You see yourself what’s going on”replies Vladimir Putin, referring to the Minsk agreements supposed to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been operating since the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. The Russian president accuses his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. “No, whatever”comments Emmanuel Bonne.
“In fact, our dear colleague, Mr. Zelensky, does nothing [pour les appliquer]. He’s lying to you”, attacks Vladimir Putin, according to the translation of the documentary, speaking of the Ukrainian president. He accuses his French counterpart of wanting “revise agreements” and asks that the peace proposals of the separatists be taken into account.
Emmanuel Macron protests against the demonstration of his interlocutor: “I don’t know where your lawyer learned the law. I just look at the texts and try to apply them!”, he says. Vladimir Putin returns to the charge, deplores that the separatists are not heard. “We don’t give a damn about the separatists’ proposals!”decides the French president, adding that they are not provided for in the agreement.
Emmanuel Macron finally arrives at the goal of his appeal: to convince Vladimir Putin to accept a meeting with Joe Biden in Geneva to try to begin a de-escalation. “To hide nothing from you, I wanted to go play ice hockey (..) There, I’m talking to you from the gym”replies Vladimir Putin to Emmanuel Macron.
In the wake of this call, the Elysée will announce a Biden-Putin summit which will never take place. Four days later, the report is bitter. “We did not convince him, he invaded Ukraine”cowardly Emmanuel Macron, unvarnished, in front of the camera of Guy Lagache.